7 Ways Acupuncture Can Improve Your Health

7 Ways Acupuncture Can Improve Your Health

Acupuncture brings about healing in almost all parts of the body and its systems. There appear to be very few health problems that it can’t at least alleviate, if not eliminate. Positive study results and other evidence is mounting in regard to the age-old Chinese healing modality as proponents of Western medicine investigate the ancient approach.

As a result, its medicinal contribution has become more widely accepted in the West in the past couple of decades, and is now sometimes included in the stable of modalities covered by medical insurance policies.

Removing energy blockages

Acupuncture is based on removing energy blockages, so restoring the body’s balance and functionality. This is done by stimulating acupuncture points in varying places on the body with fine needles. This frees energy flow, and triggers the body’s own self-healing abilities.

As Western research into the efficacy of acupuncture continues, certain areas of healing have emerged as being the most suitable for acupuncture intervention. While the modality’s major claim to fame lies in its pain relieving success, pain is certainly not its only area of application.

Areas where acupuncture can help

Pain

This is where acupuncture has primarily earned its reputation as a part of the medical field. Success has been found with regard to many of the conditions which cause chronic pain. These include muscular pains and spasms, chronic pain in the back, shoulders, neck and knees, as well as the debilitating pain suffered by those with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.

Bodily systems

Relieving energy blockages by means of acupuncture can go a long way towards improving the functioning of many of the vital bodily systems on which our health and function depends. Included is the endocrine glandular system, which plays a major role in bodily function by releasing hormones directly into the blood for distribution throughout the body.

Glands like the pineal, pituitary, and parathyroid glands are included in this system, as well as the pancreas, testes, ovaries, and thyroid. Other vital systems where acupuncture can make a huge difference to functionality, include the nervous system which is the brain’s message delivery system, the blood-circulating cardiovascular system, the digestive system and also the immune system which helps the body fight disease.

Improving mental health

Acupuncturists believe that energy blockages don’t only cause chronic pain and discomfort in the body, but also result in many mental issues. They treat mood disorders, anxiety levels and sleep problems in the same way they would deal with physical problems, by releasing the blockages and rebalancing the energy.

The acupuncture process also appears to increase the levels of natural stress-fighting brain chemicals like endorphins, norepinephrine and dopamine in the body. All of these neurotransmitters are involved in the stress-fighting process. At the same time, new research has found that acupuncture reduces the amount of a blood protein that is released as part of the body’s “fight or flight” mechanism, effectively building a defence of sorts against the effects of stress.

Side effects of cancer treatment

The aftermath of radiation and chemotherapy can prove extremely debilitating for those who have undergone these treatments to fight cancer, a disease which by its nature leaves the body weak and ill-prepared to deal with chemical intrusion. Acupuncture has been shown to bring relief with regard to the common side-effects of cancer treatment, which include reduced immunity, as well as nausea and vomiting.

Allergies, headaches, migraines and insomnia

Through stimulating pressure points in the right areas, acupuncturists are able to release the body’s ability to produce certain hormones and encourage the correct response, so helping treat these common ailments.

Addiction treatment

Acupuncture is claimed to help people rid themselves of addictions like smoking, and has helped many people kick the habit successfully. Acupuncturists use ear acupuncture for this process, inserting the needles into areas of the ear believed to reduce the addiction response. By reducing the amount of dopamine in the body, this treatment is believed to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Adjunct treatment

Acupuncture has also been shown to be effective when it comes to certain diseases including strokes, Parkinson’s, diabetes and high or low blood pressure, either on its own, or as an adjunct to other forms of treatment. It is also used in some instances to maximise other treatments involving female issues like fertility treatments and menstrual cramps.